Kind Words from Pope Francis

Tomorrow, Thursday, November 16, is Give to the Max Day here in Minnesota.

The Caux Round Table for Moral Capitalism needs your financial support to help us carry on the work that only we are doing.  Here, I refer most to the study and advocacy in our time of the respect for others given by the Prophet Muhammad in his covenants with Christians and others.

The spirit behind these covenants and the example given to all Muslims of their Prophet’s good faith seem, at this time of war in Gaza, to be providential in giving us hope that a just outcome for all can be achieved.

I would like to share with you in this context some kind words sent to me by Pope Francis about our work.

On August 25, 2020, the secretary to Pope Francis wrote me this note:

His Holiness has read your letter and he has asked me to convey his appreciation for your underscoring the relevance of the covenants made by Muhammad in his day to protect Christian churches.  He trusts that such covenants will serve as a model for the further enhancement of mutual respect, understanding and fraternal coexistence between Christians and Muslims at the present time.

On February 26, 2021, the secretary to Pope Francis wrote me this note:

Dear Professor Young,

I am writing to acknowledge your letter and enclosures that you sent on 19 January last to His Holiness Pope Francis concerning covenants made by the Prophet Muhammad to respect and protect Christian communities and to express His Holiness’ gratitude to you and your associates for making available this documentation.

You can contribute on our Give to the Max page or directly through PayPal found on our homepage here (click yellow “donate” button).

If you rather mail a check, our mailing address is 75 West Fifth Street, Suite 219, St. Paul, MN 55102.

Thank you for your support.

Why Give to the Caux Round Table for Moral Capitalism?

With trench warfare and attacks on civilians once again taking lives in Europe; with, once again, a religious war between Abrahamic faiths taking the lives of innocents in the Levant, what difference can the Caux Round Table make to counter such intolerance of others, such rejections of human aspirations for peace and justice?

With capitalism having just produced perhaps the most profound technical innovation ever, one which will disrupt all human purposing – AI – what difference can the Caux Round Table make to minimize harmful consequences attendant on the coming use of this technology?

Because we – our leadership, our staff, our global network of thoughtful participants – are doing unique innovative work that no one else seems to be attempting.

We are exploring and communicating globally premises for a global ethic in this time of anxiety and troubles.  Our unique vantage point is the moral sense our participants have contributed since 1986 about business and finance, government, civil society and individual responsibility as what the Qur’an calls “khalifa-ship” and what my Protestant ancestors passed down to me as “stewardship.”

Tomorrow, Thursday, November 16, is Give to the Max day here in Minnesota, the annual fundraising campaign for local non-profits.  We would be most appreciative if you would support our work.

You could also contribute directly to us through PayPal or by mailing a check to us at 75 West Fifth Street, Suite 219, St. Paul, MN 55102.

If you would like to give via wire transfer, please let us know so we can send you instructions.

Thank you for your past interest in the work all of us are committed to in our different ways and for your financial support at this time.

More Short Videos on Relevant and Timely Topics

We recently posted more short videos on relevant and timely topics.  They include:

Debt is an Illness

Is Capitalism Being Replaced?

The Medicine of the Moral Sense

Harvard and Free Speech

All our videos can be found on our YouTube page here.  We recently put them into 9 playlists, which you can find here.

If you aren’t following us on Twitter or haven’t liked us on Facebook, please do so.  We update both platforms frequently.

Former Minnesota Commissioner of Public Safety and former St. Paul Chief of Police Joins Board

John Harrington, former commissioner of public safety for the State of Minnesota and former chief of police for the City of St. Paul, has been elected to the board of the Caux Round Table.

As issues of moral government come more and more to the fore in our global community, John brings special insights to the work of the Caux Round Table in implementing its Principles for Government.  A fundamental duty of any government is to provide personal and community security with justice for the well-being of those it serves.

We need to ask, “Can there be moral capitalism where public governance is immoral?”

The institutional challenge in achieving and sustaining moral governance is: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? – “Who will guard the guardians?”

John graduated from Dartmouth College with a bachelor of arts in religion and a minor in Chinese/Far Eastern studies.  He also received an MA in public safety from the University of St. Thomas and is now completing the doctoral program in criminal justice administration at Walden University.

His publications are: In Their Own Words: Why Kids Join Gangs – A Report to the MN Legislature, 1998; Partnerships for Public Safety; Minnesota Police Chief, 2007; Eyewitness Identification Protocol Reform; The Police Chief, 2009; Above and Beyond the Call of Duty, 2015; Minnesota to Mogadishu; Minnesota Police Chief, 2016.

John has been an adjunct professor at St. Mary’s University and St. Thomas University teaching community policing, gangs and juvenile delinquency, 21st century policing, diversity and policing, public policy and training.  He was also an assistant professor/community faculty and project director at the School of Law Enforcement at Metropolitan State University from 1985 to 2014.

Internationally, John twice traveled to Mogadishu, Somalia, to consult and teach with the Somali Police Force on community policing and has completed two supply campaigns for the Somali Police Force, including delivery of emergency medical supplies and an ambulance.

In 2011, John cofounded Ujamaa Place, a non-profit organization in St. Paul, with the mission to transform the lives of young African American men who have been incarcerated or in gangs, serving as the chair of the board and interim executive director.  Ujamaa Place has worked with over 5,000 men, with only five returning to incarceration.

John has been sought out for his community leadership:

·       Member of the Minnesota Senate
·       Co-founder of the Asian American Police Officer Association
·       Co-founder of Hand and Hand Inc.
·       Justice Research Center
·       National Association of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE)
·       Treasurer of Northstar NOBLE
·       Police Executive Research Forum
·       Somali Police Officer Association
·       Board member of St. Paul Intervention Project
·       Board member of Alina Hospital Foundation
·       Board member of Battered Women’s Justice Project
·       Board member of Circus Juventus
·       Board member of Interfaith Action

John was also chief of police of the Metropolitan Transit Police Department in Minnesota from 2012 to 2018.

During his tenure as chief of police in St. Paul, the city saw violent crime drop yearly, with gang and domestic homicides reduced by 50-90%.  Several innovative initiatives were created, including:

·       St. Paul Domestic Violence and Intervention Project
·       Operation Shamrock
·       St. Paul Police Foundation
·       2008 Republican National Convention – oversaw and managed security for the event
·       St. Paul Police Department Gang Unit
·       Safe City Initiative
·       Department diversity – offered the first Hmong Citizen Police Academy in the U.S.

We are looking forward to getting his wise counsel as a new member of the board.

More Short Videos on Relevant and Timely Topics

We recently posted more short videos on relevant and timely topics.  They include:

Thoughts on Cicero’s De Officiis

Reflections on the 2023 Global Dialogue

All our videos can be found on our YouTube page here.  We recently put them into 9 playlists, which you can find here.

If you aren’t following us on Twitter or haven’t liked us on Facebook, please do so.  We update both platforms frequently.

July Pegasus Now Available!

Here’s the July issue of Pegasus.

In this edition, we honor one of the leaders of the Caux Round Table, Frank Straub, by republishing ten essays from his book, Culture Time at BLANCO.

I would be most interested in your thoughts and feedback.

Please note: Because we were unable to edit the individual essays, we weren’t able to delete the original page numbers and add new ones.

Statement of Conclusions: Caux Round Table 2023 Global Dialogue

Participants in the Caux Round Table’s 2023 Global Dialogue convened at Mountain House in Caux, Switzerland on July 26 and 27 for round table sessions on 1) where are we at as a global community, 2) where are we headed and 3) where are our leaders?

Participants from Asia, Europe and the U.S., rather quickly and agreeably, came to certain conclusions:

1) Our human community is at an inflection point: something is past and something different is coming.  We are in a juncture of developments, provoking dysfunctions, exacerbating differences, precipitating separations and bringing on anxiety-inducing uncertainties.
2) Leaders up to our challenges and worthy of our respect are in short supply everywhere.
3) A recovery of commitment to personal responsibility is most needed.

This statement, drafted by participants, sets forth their conclusions and recommendations.

Please feel free to share the statement with your friends, colleagues and networks.